Mystery toy or puzzle



Jan. 11, 1949. J. c. WILSON 2,458,969

MYSTERY TOY OR PUZZLE Filed Feb. 5, 194a 4 V 4 T A illllllllllllllllll\lllllll INVENTOR JACK C. WILSON ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 11, 1949 'UNITED STATES PATENTOEFICE MYSTERY. :1 1 :1: PUZZLE I Application February 5, 1948, Serial No. 6,374

2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to mystery toys or puzzles.

Among the objects of the present invention it is aimed to provide an improved mystery toy or puzzle relying upon the reaction to one another of two permanent magnets when associated with two complemental members, with one of which the magnet will be fixed and with the other of which the magnet will be movably associated so that in one position of the movably mounted magnet the complemental parts will complement one another to form a predetermined association, and in the other position of the movably mounted magnet the complemental parts will repel one another and resist association in any predetermined relationship.

More specifically, the present invention aims to provide an imitation cofiin or case having a body receiving chamber of a predetermined conformation with a false bottom and a second chamber beneath the false bottom to enclose or trap a movably mounted magnet with two or more seats, the locations of which are predetermined according to the action to be obtained, and a mummy having a second magnet fixedly mounted therein and in outline conforming to the body receiving chamber in the comn, which latter magnet will cooperate with the movably mounted magnet in one position of the latter to expel the mummy from the coflin or resist peaceable association between the coffin and the mummy, and in the other position of the movable mounted magnet readily receive the mummy in the body receiving chamber.

These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the present invention will appear from the subjoined detail description thereof, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the coffin or body receiving chamber.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mummy.

Fig, 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the embodiment shown there is illustrated a coflin or case I having an upper chamber 2 constituting a body receiving chamber with a wide area 3 to one side of the middle of the chamber 2, with the side walls 4 and 5 converging toward the head end wall 6, and the side walls I and 8 converging toward the foot end wall 9.

The chamber 2 is provided with a false bottom I0 which divides the upper chamber 2 from the lower chamber II which in the present instance extends from the vicinity of the wide area 3 to the foot end wall 9, and is provided with two recesses I2 and I3 constituting seats for the movably mounted permanent magnet I4, The magnet may be cylindrical in shape with flat upper and lower faces I5 and I6, respectively, the altitude or thickness of which magnet I4 is slightly less than the distance from the lower face of the false bottom I0 to the upper face of the base I! between the seats I2 and I3 so that the magnet II when riding as an instance on the lower face of the false bottom I0 may freely move from one seat I2, I3 to the other. 1

The conformation of the chamber 2 is preferably so determined that it will only receive a body, such as the mummy I8 having a predetermined conformation, face upward, when its head portion is adjacent the head end wall 5.

The mummy I8, however, has a second permanent magnet I9 fixed therein adjacent. the shoulder portion or wide portion 20 of the mummy IIi. The magnets I4 and I9 are so positioned in the coffin I and mummy I8 that like poles, such as their north poles, indicated by the letter N, face one another when the mummy I8 is disposed above the cofiln I. Consequently, when the magnet I is disposed in the seat I2 and an attempt is made to place the mummy I8 into the chamber 2 of the coflin I, the magnets I4 and I9 will repel one another and the mummy I8 will assume the appearance or movement of jumping out of the coflin I. On the other hand, when the player acquainted with the mystery picks up the coffin I and by tilting the same causesthe magnet It to move through the chamber II into the seat I3, and he thereupon places the mummy I 8 into the chamber 2, the coflin I will of course receive the mummy I8 and not expel it, since in such position the magnets I4 and I!) will be far enough from one another not materially to affect the peaceable association or location of the mummy l8 in the chamber 2.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made to the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of v the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a magnetic toy, the combination of a nonmagnetic casing having two adjacent chambers, one open and the other closed, separated from one another by a non-magnetic partition, a permanent magnet mounted in said closed chamber and adapted to move longitudinally therein, means for releasabiy anchoring said permanent magnet one another to expel said body from said position in the open chamber when the movable magnet is in one or said two positions and said like poles being out or coactive range to enable said body to remain in said open chamber when the movable magnet is in the other of said two positions.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 in u 4 which said releasable anchoring means consists or two recessed portions in said closed chamber adapted to partially receive said movable magnet.

JACK C. WILSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,054,779 Kellison Mar. 4, 1913 1,544,434 Doughty June 30, 1925 1,947,920 Primrose Feb. 20, 1934 2,109,953 Bates Mar. 1, 1938 

